Building Capacity for a Practice Based Discipline

Joan Orme, University of GlasgowJackie Powell, University of

Southampton

Context

• ESRC demographic survey

• RAE analysis over time

• Recognition exercise

• JUC SWEC Research Strategy

Implementing change

• Qualifying level for social work

• Circle of resistance

• Skill the academic workforce

• Create a virtuous circle

Key principles

• Across the professional lifecourse► PGRs to Professors

• Across research settings► Academic/practice divide

• Researcher community► researchers, educators, practitioners,

recipients of social work services

Researcher Development Initiative

Three interconnected strands:

• Advanced methods (3 workshops)

• PGR students (2 conferences)

• Training the trainers (3 events)

Outcomes 1 • Attendees at events (to date): 182

– Workshops (2) - 54– Conferences (2) - 65– T4T events (3) - 63

• Type of participants: 182– Research students - 62– Early career researchers - 28– Mid career researchers - 44– Senior researchers - 43– Methodologists - 5

Outcomes 2

• Participants’ evaluations were overall positive across all three strands, but

• Constructive feedback re content and organisation

• Learning from and building on the experience

Outcomes 3

• ESRC RT Recognition √• Increase number of doctoral students …• Enhancement of methodological

approaches [?]• Repository of resources √• Explore feasibility of developing on-line

materials …• Establish networks of researchers

(including PGRs) √

Outcomes 4

• RDI 2: ‘An Action-learning Programme to develop Research Capacity’

• ESRC funded ‘Audit of baseline resources for social work research: finances, staff and teaching’

• ESRC funded Strategic Advisor for Social Work and Social Care Research

Reflections

• Managing the tension within a practice based discipline

• ‘the pull’ towards (inter)disciplinary development

• ‘the push’ towards practice relevance